“I have [type 1] diabetes. Diabetes doesn’t have me.”
Those words illustrate the feisty attitude of Annette Richardson-Bienkowski, 72, a participant in the 50-Year Medalist Study at the Joslin Diabetes Center in Boston, MA. Led by George King, M.D., chief scientific officer at Joslin, this groundbreaking research study, which has received more than $2.5 million in support from JDRF, is revealing new information about the long-term effects of type 1 diabetes (T1D) in some individuals.
Since 1970, the Joslin Medalist Program has awarded medals to individuals who have lived with T1D for 50 years or longer. Medalists who agree to join the study travel to Joslin, where they participate in a daylong series of medical tests. They fill out questionnaires about their health history and provide samples of their blood for genetic testing and urine to check for kidney disease. The Medalists also undergo a series of laboratory tests, including those to look for retinopathy (eye disease) and nephropathy (kidney damage) and to find out if their pancreases produce any insulin at all. Some Medalists return for follow-up tests after three years so the study team can identify any changes in their health over time.
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Cool..wish them the best!!